On-demand camera sharing over a network

ABSTRACT

Aspects of the present disclosure involve a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, method, and user interface to facilitate a camera sharing session between two or more users. A request for an image depicting an image target is received from a first device associated with a first user. A notification of the request is transmitted to a second device associated with a second user. Image data comprising at least one image generated by a camera communicatively coupled to the second device is received from the second device and the image data is transmitted to the first device. A reward is provided to the second user based on the image data including a depiction of the image target.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 62/876,342, filed on Jul. 19, 2019, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to mobile and wearablecomputing technology. In particular, example embodiments of the presentdisclosure address systems, methods, and user interfaces to facilitateon-demand camera sharing by devices over a network.

BACKGROUND

Many wearable and mobile devices such as “smart” glasses include anembedded camera. Users of these devices often stream video produced byan embedded camera to other users' devices using mobile device softwareapplications and online platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, themost significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to thefigure number in which that element or act is first introduced.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example communication systemfor facilitating camera sharing between two or more users, according tosome example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wearable companion device for use ina camera sharing session, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the wearable device,according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored in adatabase of a messaging server system, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a messagegenerated by a messaging client application for communication, accordingto example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is an interaction diagram illustrating interaction betweencomponents of the communication system in performing a method for camerasharing between two users, according to some example embodiments.

FIGS. 7-11 are flowcharts illustrating operations of the messagingsystem in performing a method for camera sharing between two users,according to example embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a representative softwarearchitecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described, according to example embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine able toread instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., amachine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, according to example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of variousembodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventivesubject matter may be practiced without these specific details. Ingeneral, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, andtechniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

As noted above, users of mobile and wearable devices often stream videoproduced by an embedded camera to other users' devices using mobiledevice software applications and online platforms. However, conventionalvideo streaming applications and platforms typically require that auser's friends or followers be online to throughout a video streamingsession to provide the optimal experience to users.

Aspects of the present disclosure address the foregoing issues byimproving upon traditional video streaming technology with systems,methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machineprogram products for facilitating a camera sharing session between twoor more users. During a camera sharing session, single frame images orshort videos captured by a camera of a first user (e.g., an embeddedcamera of a mobile or wearable device) are sent to one or more otherusers' devices rather than providing those devices with a continuousstream of video content, as with traditional video streaming. Providingonly single frame images or short videos rather than a continuous streamof video content during a camera sharing session results in a reductionof device power consumption and computational processing resourceutilization compared to traditional video streaming.

In an example camera sharing session, a first user submits alocation-based request to a system for image data that includes adepiction of an image target. The image target may comprise a geographiclocation or feature, a landmark, an event, a person, or an object, andthe request may include descriptive information to describe and identifythe image target.

Based on receiving the request, the system provides a notification ofthe request to at least a second user. The system may operate as part ofa platform that connects requesters to camera owners. As part of such aplatform, the system may provide the notification to a group of users toconnect the requesting users to multiple camera owners and providemultiple users an opportunity to fulfil the request. The notificationmay further specify a reward associated with the request to incentivizethe second user to fulfil the request by capturing an image or shortvideo of the image target. The reward may, for example, correspond to anamount of value in currency or in reward points. The reward may be basedon a price specified by the first user or a default fee associated withimage requests.

Depending on the embodiment, the second user may use a camera togenerate image data in response to the request or the first user may beenabled to control the camera of the second user to capture image data.The second user uses a device to send the image data to the system inresponse to the request. The system verifies that the image dataincludes a depiction of the image target. Based on verifying the imagedata includes the depiction of the image target, the system provides thereward to the second user. In this way, the system incentivizes cameraownership by enabling the second user to share image data with the firstuser that the first user has requested.

In addition, the first user can remotely (e.g., from a distance) controlimage capturing functionality at the camera of the second user duringthe camera sharing session. Allowing the first user to control thecamera of the second user during the camera sharing session increasesthe interactivity and engagement of users that is lacking in traditionalvideo streaming paradigms. Further, by allowing the requesting user tocontrol image capturing at the camera, the system increases a likelihoodthat the image data will include a depiction of the target desired bythe requesting user as well as ensuring that the image data is capturedin line with the preferences of the requesting user.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system100 for facilitating a camera sharing session between two or more users,according to some example embodiments. The communication system 100 may,for example, be a messaging system where clients communicate andexchange data within the communication system 100, where certain data iscommunicated to and from wearable devices described herein. The data maypertain to various functions (e.g., sending and receiving image contentas well as text and other media communication) and aspects associatedwith the communication system 100 and its users. Although thecommunication system 100 is illustrated herein as having a client-serverarchitecture, other embodiments may include other network architectures,such as peer-to-peer or distributed network environments.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication system 100 includes a messagingsystem 130. The messaging system 130 is generally based on athree-tiered architecture, consisting of an interface layer 124, anapplication logic layer 126, and a data layer 128. As is understood byskilled artisans in the relevant computer and Internet-related arts,each module or engine shown in FIG. 1 represents a set of executablesoftware instructions and the corresponding hardware (e.g., memory andprocessor) for executing the instructions. In various embodiments,additional functional modules and engines may be used with a messagingsystem, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 , to facilitate additionalfunctionality that is not specifically described herein. Furthermore,the various functional modules and engines depicted in FIG. 1 may resideon a single server computer or may be distributed across several servercomputers in various arrangements. Moreover, although the messagingsystem 130 is depicted in FIG. 1 as having a three-tiered architecture,the inventive subject matter is by no means limited to such anarchitecture.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the interface layer 124 consists of interfacemodules (e.g., a web server) 140, which receive requests from variousclient-devices and servers, such as client devices 110-1 and 110-2executing client application 112. In response to received requests, theinterface modules 140 communicate appropriate responses to requestingdevices via a network 104. For example, the interface modules 140 canreceive requests such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests orother web-based application programming interface (API) requests.

The client devices 110 can execute conventional web browser applicationsor applications (also referred to as “apps”) that have been developedfor a specific platform to include any of a wide variety of mobiledevices and mobile-specific operating systems (e.g., IOS™, ANDROID™,WINDOWS® PHONE). In an example, the client devices 110 are executing theclient application 112. The client application 112 can providefunctionality to present information to users 106-1 and 106-2 andcommunicate via the network 104 to exchange information with themessaging system 130. Each of the client devices 110-1 and 110-2 cancomprise a device that includes at least a display and communicationcapabilities with the network 104 to access the messaging system 130.The client devices 110 comprise, but are not limited to, remote devices,work stations, computers, general-purpose computers, Internetappliances, hand-held devices, wireless devices, portable devices,wearable computers, cellular or mobile phones, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultrabooks, netbooks, laptops,desktops, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, network personalcomputers (PCs), mini-computers, and the like. The users 106-1 and 106-2can include a person, a machine, or other means of interacting with theclient devices 110. In some embodiments, the users 106-1 and 106-2interact with the messaging system 130 via the client devices 110-1 and110-2, respectively.

As shown, the communication system 100 additionally includes a companiondevice 114 communicatively connected to the client device 110-1. Invarious embodiments, the companion device 114 is configured for wiredcommunication with either the client device 110-1 or the messagingsystem 130. The companion device 114 may also be simultaneouslyconfigured for wireless communication with the client device 110-1, themessaging system 130, or both. The companion device 114 may be awearable device such as glasses, a visor, a watch, or othernetwork-enabled items. The companion device 114 may also be any devicedescribed herein that accesses a network such as network via anotherdevice such as the client device 110-1.

The companion device 114 includes image sensors 116 and wireless inputand output (I/O) 118. The companion device 114 may include one or moreprocessors, a display, a battery, and a memory, but may have limitedprocessing and memory resources. In such embodiments, the client device110-1 and/or server devices used for the messaging system 130 may beused via network connections to provide remote processing and memoryresources for the companion devices 114. In one embodiment, for example,the client companion device 114 may be a pair of network-enabledglasses, such as glasses 231 of FIG. 2 , and the client device 110-1 maybe a smartphone that enables access to the messaging system 130 toenable communication of image content captured with the image sensor(s)116.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the data layer 128 has one or more database servers132 that facilitate access to information storage repositories ordatabases 134. The databases 134 are storage devices that store datasuch as member profile data, social graph data (e.g., relationshipsbetween members of the messaging system 130), and other user data.

An individual can register with the messaging system 130 to become amember of the messaging system 130. Once registered, a member can formsocial network relationships (e.g., friends, followers, or contacts) onthe messaging system 130 and interact with a broad range of applicationsprovided by the messaging system 130.

The application logic layer 126 includes various application logicmodules 150, which, in conjunction with the interface modules 140,generate various user interfaces with data retrieved from various datasources or data services in the data layer 128. Individual applicationlogic modules 150 may be used to implement the functionality associatedwith various applications, services, and features of the messagingsystem 130. For instance, a messaging application can be implementedwith one or more of the application logic modules 150. The messagingapplication provides a messaging mechanism for users of the clientdevices 110-1 and 110-2 to send and receive messages that include textand media content such as pictures and video. The client devices 110-1and 110-2 may access and view the messages from the messagingapplication for a specified period of time (e.g., limited or unlimited).In an example, a particular message is accessible to a message recipientfor a predefined duration (e.g., specified by a message sender) thatbegins when the particular message is first accessed. After thepredefined duration elapses, the message is deleted and is no longeraccessible to the message recipient.

Additionally, the application logic modules 150 embodying the messagingapplication or other application logic modules 150 may providefunctionality to facilitate a camera sharing session between the users106-1 and 106-2. In an example camera sharing session, the user 106-1may utilize client application 112 executing on client device 110-1 tosubmit a request to the messaging system 130 for image data (e.g.,comprising a single image or a short video) that includes a depiction ofan image target. The image target may comprise a geographic location orfeature, a landmark, an event, a person, or an object. The request mayinclude descriptive information to describe the image target.

Based on receiving the request, the messaging system 130 may provide anotification of the request to the client device 110-2 operated by theuser 106-2. The notification may further specify a reward associatedwith the request so as to incentivize the user 106-2 to capture therequested image. The reward may, for example, correspond to an amount ofmonetary value such as a price specified by the user 106-1 or a defaultfee associated with image requests. That is, the user 106-1 may specifya price that he or she is willing to pay for the requested image data.

Depending on the embodiment, the user 106-2 may use a camera 160 togenerate image data in response to the request or the user 106-1 maycontrol the camera 160 of the user 106-2. More specifically, the user106-1 may utilize the client application 112 executing on the clientdevice 110-1 to trigger image capturing at the camera 160. At eachinstance where the user 106-1 triggers an image capture at the camera160, image data is generated and a message comprising the image data maybe transmitted to the client device 110-1. The message may furtherinclude audio data recorded in conjunction with the capturing of theimage data. The image data may comprise a single image frame or a shortvideo (e.g., comprising multiple image frames). By providing singleframe images or short videos to the client device 110-1 during thecamera sharing session, rather than a continuous stream of video contentas done in traditional video streaming, the messaging system 130 reducespower consumption and use of computational processing resources at boththe client devices 110-1 and 110-2, at least compared to traditionalvideo streaming.

The client device 110-2 transmits the image data generated by the camera160 to the messaging system 130 and the messaging system 130 verifiesthat the image data includes a depiction of the image target. Themessaging system 130 may verify that the image data includes a depictionof the image target based on verification information provided by theuser 106-1 received from the client device 110-1. Based on verifying theimage data includes the depiction of the image target, the messagingsystem 130 provides the reward to the user 106-2. Further detailsregarding a method for facilitating a camera sharing session aredescribed below in reference to FIGS. 6-11 , according to someembodiments.

The camera 160 is communicatively coupled to the client device 110-2.For example, in some embodiments, the camera 160 may be embedded in theclient device 110-2 (e.g., a smartphone with an embedded camera). Insome embodiments, the camera 160 may be embedded in the companion device114 and may comprise or correspond to the image sensor(s) 116.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a wearable companion device 114 in theexample form of glasses 231 for use in a camera sharing session,according to some example embodiments. The glasses 231 can include aframe 232 made from any suitable material such as plastic or metal,including any suitable shape memory alloy. The frame 232 can have afront piece 233 that can include a first or left lens, display, oroptical element holder 236 and a second or right lens, display, oroptical element holder 237 connected by a bridge 238. The front piece233 additionally includes a left end portion 241 and a right end portion242. A first or left optical element 244 and a second or right opticalelement 243 can be provided within respective left and right opticalelement holders 236, 237. Each of the optical elements 243, 244 can be alens, a display, a display assembly, or a combination of the foregoing.In some embodiments, for example, the glasses 231 are provided with anintegrated near-eye display mechanism that enables, for example, displayto the user of preview images for visual media captured by cameras 269of the glasses 231.

The frame 232 additionally includes a left arm or temple piece 246 and aright arm or temple piece 247 coupled to the respective left and rightend portions 241, 242 of the front piece 233 by any suitable means, suchas a hinge (not shown), so as to be coupled to the front piece 233, orrigidly or fixably secured to the front piece 233 so as to be integralwith the front piece 233. Each of the temple pieces 246 and 247 caninclude a first portion 251 that is coupled to the respective endportion 241 or 242 of the front piece 233 and any suitable secondportion 252, such as a curved or arcuate piece, for coupling to the earof the user. In one embodiment, the front piece 233 can be formed from asingle piece of material, so as to have a unitary or integralconstruction. In one embodiment, the entire frame 232 can be formed froma single piece of material so as to have a unitary or integralconstruction.

The glasses 231 can include a device, such as a computer 261, which canbe of any suitable type so as to be carried by the frame 232 and, in oneembodiment, of a suitable size and shape so as to be at least partiallydisposed in one of the temple pieces 246 and 247. In one embodiment, thecomputer 261 has a size and shape similar to the size and shape of oneof the temple pieces 246, 247 and is thus disposed almost entirely, ifnot entirely, within the structure and confines of such temple pieces246 and 247. In one embodiment, the computer 261 can be disposed in bothof the temple pieces 246, 247. The computer 261 can include one or moreprocessors with memory, wireless communication circuitry, and a powersource. The computer 261 comprises low-power circuitry, high-speedcircuitry, and a display processor. Various other embodiments mayinclude these elements in different configurations or integratedtogether in different ways.

The computer 261 additionally includes a battery 262 or other suitableportable power supply. In one embodiment, the battery 262 is disposed inone of the temple pieces 246 or 247. In the glasses 231 shown in FIG. 2, the battery 262 is shown as being disposed in the left temple piece246 and electrically coupled using a connection 274 to the remainder ofthe computer 261 disposed in the right temple piece 247. One or more I/Odevices can include a connector or port (not shown) suitable forcharging a battery 262 accessible from the outside of the frame 232, awireless receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (not shown), or acombination of such devices. Given the limited size of the glasses 231and the computer 261, resource-intensive operations such as videostreaming can quickly drain the battery 262 and can be a strain on theone or more processors of the computer 261, which can lead tooverheating.

The glasses 231 include digital cameras 269. Although two cameras 269are depicted, other embodiments contemplate the use of a single oradditional (i.e., more than two) cameras. For ease of description,various features relating to the cameras 269 will further be describedwith reference to only a single camera 269, but it will be appreciatedthat these features can apply, in suitable embodiments, to both cameras269.

Consistent with some embodiments, the cameras 269 are examples of thecamera 160 of the first user 106-1 discussed above in reference to FIG.1 . Accordingly, in these embodiments, the glasses 231 may be worn bythe user 106-1. Further, in these embodiments, the user 106-2 may beenabled to control image capture by the cameras 269 as part of a camerasharing session. During the camera sharing session, single frame imagesor short videos generated by the cameras 269 are sent to the clientdevice 110-2. By providing only single frame images or short videos tothe client device 110-2 during the camera sharing session, rather than acontinuous stream of video content as is done in traditional videostreaming, power consumption from the battery 262 and the strain on theone or more processors of the computer 261 is reduced compared at leastto traditional video streaming.

In various embodiments, the glasses 231 may include any number of inputsensors or peripheral devices in addition to the cameras 269. The frontpiece 233 is provided with an outward-facing, forward-facing, front, orouter surface 266 that faces forward or away from the user when theglasses 231 are mounted on the face of the user, and an oppositeinward-facing, rearward-facing, rear, or inner surface 267 that facesthe face of the user (e.g., user 106-1) when the glasses 231 are mountedon the face of the user. Such sensors can include inward-facing videosensors or digital imaging modules such as cameras that can be mountedon or provided within the inner surface 267 of the front piece 233 orelsewhere on the frame 232 so as to be facing the user, andoutward-facing video sensors or digital imaging modules such as thecameras 269 that can be mounted on or provided with the outer surface266 of the front piece 233 or elsewhere on the frame 232 so as to befacing away from the user. Such sensors, peripheral devices, orperipherals can additionally include biometric sensors, locationsensors, accelerometers, or any other such sensors.

The glasses 231 further include an example embodiment of a cameracontrol mechanism or user input mechanism comprising a camera controlbutton mounted on the frame 232 for haptic or manual engagement by theuser. The camera control button provides a bi-modal or single-actionmechanism in that it is disposable by the user between only twoconditions, namely an engaged condition and a disengaged condition. Inthis example embodiment, the camera control button is a pushbutton thatis by default in the disengaged condition, being depressible by the userto dispose it to the engaged condition. Upon release of the depressedcamera control button, it automatically returns to the disengagedcondition.

In other embodiments, the single-action input mechanism can instead beprovided by, for example, a touch-sensitive button comprising acapacitive sensor mounted on the frame 232 adjacent to its surface fordetecting the presence of a user's finger to dispose the touch-sensitivebutton to the engaged condition when the user touches a finger to thecorresponding spot on the outer surface of the frame 232. It will beappreciated that the above-described camera control button andcapacitive touch button are but two examples of a haptic input mechanismfor single-action control of the camera 269 and that other embodimentsmay employ different single-action haptic control arrangements.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating aspects of the wearable device inthe example form of the glasses 231, according to some exampleembodiments. The computer 261 of the glasses 231 includes a centralprocessor 321 in communication with an onboard memory 326. The centralprocessor 321 may be a CPU and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU). Thememory 326 in this example embodiment comprises a combination of flashmemory and random-access memory.

The glasses 231 further include a camera controller 314 in communicationwith the central processor 321 and the camera 269. The camera controller314 comprises circuitry configured to control recording of eitherphotographic content or video content based upon processing of controlsignals received from the single-action input mechanism that includesthe camera control button, and to provide for automatic adjustment ofone or more image-capture parameters pertaining to capturing of imagedata by the camera 269 and on-board processing of the image data priorto persistent storage thereof and/or to presentation thereof to the userfor viewing or previewing.

In some embodiments, the camera controller 314 comprises permanentlyconfigured circuitry, such as firmware or an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC) configured to perform the various functionsdescribed herein. In other embodiments, the camera controller 314 maycomprise a dynamically reconfigurable processor executing instructionsthat temporarily configure the processor to execute the variousfunctions described herein.

The camera controller 314 interacts with the memory 326 to store,organize, and present image content in the form of photo content andvideo content. To this end, the memory 326 in this example embodimentcomprises a photo content memory 328 and a video content memory 342. Thecamera controller 314 is thus, in cooperation with the central processor321, configured to receive from the camera 269 image data representativeof digital images produced by the camera 269 in accordance with some ofthe image-capture parameters, to process the image data in accordancewith some of the image-capture parameters, and to store the processedimage data in an appropriate one of the photo content memory 328 and thevideo content memory 342.

The camera controller 314 is further configured to cooperate with adisplay controller 349 to cause display on a display mechanismincorporated in the glasses 231 of selected photos and videos in thememory 326 and thus to provide previews of captured photos and videos.In some embodiments, the camera controller 314 will manage processing ofimages captured using automatic bracketing parameters for inclusion in avideo file.

A single-action input mechanism 335 is communicatively coupled to thecentral processor 321 and the camera controller 314 to communicatesignals representative of a current state of the camera control buttonand thereby to communicate to the camera controller 314 whether or notthe camera control button is currently being pressed. The cameracontroller 314 further communicates with the central processor 321regarding the input signals received from the single-action inputmechanism 335. In one embodiment, the camera controller 314 isconfigured to process input signals received via the single-action inputmechanism 335 to determine whether a particular user engagement with thecamera control button is to result in a recording of video content orphotographic content and/or to dynamically adjust one or moreimage-capture parameters based on processing of the input signals. Forexample, pressing of the camera control button for longer than apredefined threshold duration causes the camera controller 314automatically to apply relatively less rigorous video processing tocaptured video content prior to persistent storage and display thereof.Conversely, pressing of the camera control button for shorter than thethreshold duration in such an embodiment causes the camera controller314 automatically to apply relatively more rigorous photo stabilizationprocessing to image data representative of one or more still images.

The glasses 231 may further include various components common to mobileelectronic devices such as smart glasses or smart phones (for example,including a display controller for controlling display of visual media(including photographic and video content captured by the camera 269) ona display mechanism incorporated in the device). Note that the schematicdiagram of FIG. 3 is not an exhaustive representation of all componentsforming part of the glasses 231.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating data 400 which may be storedin one or more of the databases 134 of the messaging system 130,according to certain example embodiments. While the content of the data400 is shown to comprise a number of tables, it will be appreciated thatthe data 400 could be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., asan object-oriented database).

The data 400 includes message data stored within a message table 402. Anentity table 404 stores entity data, including an entity graph 406.Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table 404may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects,places, events, and so forth. Regardless of type, any entity regardingwhich the messaging server system 108 stores data may be a recognizedentity. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as anentity type identifier (not shown).

The entity graph 406 furthermore stores information regardingrelationships and associations between entities. Such relationships maybe social, professional (e.g., work at a common corporation ororganization), interested-based, or activity-based, merely for example.

A video table 408 stores video data associated with messages for whichrecords are maintained within the message table 402. Similarly, an imagetable 410 stores image data associated with messages for which messagedata is stored in the message table 402.

A conversation table 412 stores data regarding chat conversations andassociated content (e.g., image, video, or audio data). A record foreach chat conversation may be maintained in the conversation table 412.Each record may include a unique identifier for the chat conversation, aretention duration attribute, identifiers of entities that areparticipants in the chat conversation (or pointers to the identifiers inthe entity table 404), and message data (or pointers to correspondingmessage data in the message table 402).

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a message 500,according to some embodiments, generated by a client application 112 forcommunication to a further client application 112 or one or moreapplication logic modules 150. The content of a particular message 500is used to populate the message table 402 stored within database 134,accessible by the application logic modules 150. Similarly, the contentof a message 500 is stored in memory as “in-transit” or “in-flight” dataof one of the client devices 110-1 or 110-2 or the messaging system 130.The message 500 is shown to include the following components:

-   -   A message identifier 502: a unique identifier that identifies        the message 500.    -   A message text payload 504: text, to be generated by a user via        a user interface of one of the client devices 110-1 or 110-2 and        that is included in the message 500.    -   A message image payload 506: image data, captured by a camera        component of one of the client devices 110-1 or 110-2 or        retrieved from memory of one of the client devices 110-1 or        110-2, and that is included in the message 500.    -   A message video payload 508: video data, captured by a camera        component or retrieved from a memory component of one of the        client device 110-1 or 110-2 and that is included in the message        500.    -   A message audio payload 510: audio data, captured by a        microphone or retrieved from the memory component of one of the        client device 110-1 or 110-2, and that is included in the        message 500.    -   A message duration attribute 512: an attribute value indicating,        in seconds, the amount of time for which content of the message        500 (e.g., the message image payload 506, message video payload        508, and message audio payload 510) is to be made accessible to        a user via the client application 112 upon accessing the message        500.    -   A conversation identifier 514: an identifier indicative of the        chat conversation to which the message belongs.    -   A message sender identifier 516: an identifier (e.g., a        messaging system identifier, email address, or device        identifier) indicative of a user of one of the client devices        110-1 or 110-2 on which the message 500 was generated and from        which the message 500 was sent.    -   A message receiver identifier 518: an identifier (e.g., a        messaging system identifier, email address, or device        identifier) indicative of a user of one of the client devices        110-1 and 110-2 to which the message 500 is addressed.

The contents (e.g., values) of the various components of the message 500may be pointers to locations in tables within which content data valuesare stored. For example, an image value in the message image payload 506may be a pointer to (or address of) a location within the image table410. Similarly, values within the message video payload 508 may point todata stored within the video table 408, values stored within the messageduration attribute 512 and the conversation identifier 514 may point todata stored within the conversation table 412, and values stored withinthe message sender identifier 516 and the message receiver identifier518 may point to user records stored within the entity table 404.

FIG. 6 is an interaction diagram illustrating interaction betweencomponents of the communication system 100 in performing a method 600for camera sharing between a user of the client device 110-1(hereinafter referred to as a “first user”) and a user of the clientdevice 110-2 (hereinafter referred to as a “second user”), according tosome example embodiments.

At operation 602, the client device 110-1 submits a request for an imagedepicting an image target (also referred to herein as an “imagerequest”) and the request is received by the messaging system 130 atoperation 604. At operation 606, the messaging system 130 provides anotification of the image request to at least a second user. That is,the messaging system 130 provides the notification to the client device110-2 and the client device 110-2, in turn, presents the notification tothe second user upon receiving the notification at operation 608.

In some embodiments, the messaging system 130 may send the notificationto a set of users (that includes the second user). The messaging system130 may, for example, identify the set of users based on their proximityto the image target.

In some embodiments, the request may be submitted within the context ofa camera sharing session in which the second user has approved the firstuser to control the camera of the second user and otherwise view theexperience of the second user through image data generated by thecamera. Consistent with these embodiments, the messaging system 130provides the notification to the second user based on the first andsecond user being engaged in the camera sharing session.

The notification may specify a reward (e.g., an amount of valuecorresponding to currency or non-monetary points) to be provided inexchange for image data that includes a depiction of the image target.The reward may correspond to an amount specified by the first user aspart of the image request, a default amount associated with imagerequests, or a default associated with viewing and participating in acamera sharing session. In a first example, the first user may specify aprice to be paid for image data including a depiction of the imagetarget. This example may be applicable to embodiments in which therequest is received as part of a camera sharing session as well asembodiments in which the request is processed ad hoc by providing anotification to a set of users. In a second example, the first user mayagree to pay a fee to join the camera sharing session of the second userand the reward may be based on the fee.

At operation 610, the client device 110-2 generates image datacomprising one or more images (e.g., single-frame images or video)produced by a camera that is in communication with the client device110-2. The client device 110-2 transmits the image data to the messagingsystem 130 at operation 612 and the messaging system 130, in turn,transmits the image data to the client device 110-1 at operation 614along with a prompt to verify that the image data includes a depictionof the image target. The client device 110-1 receives the image data andprompt at operation 616 and provides verification data to the messagingsystem 130 at operation 618. The verification data may include aconfirmation that the image data includes a depiction of the imagetarget.

The messaging system 130 receives the verification data at operation620, and based on the image data including a depiction of the imagetarget, the messaging system 130 provides a reward to the second user atoperation 622. The reward may comprise an amount of value correspondingto currency or non-monetary points (e.g., that may be redeemed orexchanged for currency, goods, or services). In providing the reward,the messaging system 130 may update a user account associated with thesecond user to indicate that the user has been provided the reward.

FIGS. 7-11 are flowcharts illustrating operations of the messagingsystem 130 in performing a method 700 for facilitating a camera sharingsession between two or more users, according to example embodiments. Themethod 700 may be embodied in computer-readable instructions forexecution by one or more processors such that the operations of themethod 700 may be performed in part or in whole by the functionalcomponents of the communication system 100; accordingly, the method 700is described below by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that at least some of the operations of the method700 may be deployed on various other hardware configurations than thecommunication system 100.

At operation 705, the messaging system 130 receives a request for imagedata that (also referred to herein as an “image request”) depicts animage target specified in the request. The messaging system 130 receivesthe image request from a first device (e.g., the client device 110-1)associated with a first user (e.g., the user 106-1). The first user maysubmit the request via a GUI provided by an application executing on theclient device (e.g., the client application 112).

The image target may, for example, comprise a geographic location orfeature, a landmark, an event, a person, or an object. The request mayinclude descriptive information to describe the image target. Thedescriptive information may, for example, include an identifier such as:an address; a set of cross streets; an identifier of a city, town, orother region; a building identifier, a business identifier, a landmarkname; a set of GPS coordinates; an event title; a person's name; or thelike.

In some embodiments, the image request may include an associated rewardto be provided to a user who fulfills the request by providing the imagedata that includes a depiction of the image target. The reward may, forexample, comprise an amount of value the first user or the messagingsystem 130 will provide for an image depicting the image target. Theamount of value may correspond currency or points that may beaccumulated by users of the messaging system 130 and redeemed orexchanged for currency, goods, or services. The reward may be based on auser-specified amount, a default amount associated with an imagerequest, a fee paid by the first user to join a camera sharing sessionof the second user, or based on an initial distance of the fulfillinguser to the target object at the time of the request.

At operation 710, the messaging system 130 provides a notification ofthe image request to a second device (e.g., client device 110-2)associated with a second user (e.g., user 106-2). The messaging system130 may provide the notification, for example, as a push notification, anotification displayed within a GUI of an application (e.g., clientapplication 112) executing on the second device, a text message, or anemail. Depending on the embodiment, the messaging system 130 maytransmit the notification to the second device or may transmit a set ofinstructions to the second device that cause the second device todisplay the notification. The notification of the image request includesthe identifier of the target object and may further specify a rewardassociated with the image request. As will be discussed in furtherdetail below, the second device may be one of a set of devices to whichthe messaging system 130 provides the notification.

At operation 715, the messaging system 130 receives image data from thesecond device associated with the second user. The image data comprisesone or more images (e.g., a single image, multiple images, or video).The image data is generated by a camera that is communicatively coupledto the second device. In some embodiments, the camera is an embeddedcamera of the second device (e.g., a smartphone camera). In someembodiments, the camera is an embedded camera of a companion device(e.g., companion device 114) such as a wearable device (e.g., glasses231).

At operation 725, the messaging system 130 verifies that the image dataincludes a depiction of the image target. In some embodiments, themessaging system 130 verifies that the image includes a depiction of theimage target based on user input received from the first user. In someembodiments, the messaging system 130 may employ a machine learningcomponent such as a neural network to perform image analysis on theimage data to verify that the image data includes a depiction of theimage target. In some embodiments, the messaging system 130 may utilizeone of many known object recognition techniques to analyze the imagedata and verify that the image data includes the depiction of the imagetarget.

At operation 730, the messaging system 130 determines a rewardassociated with the image request. As noted above, the reward maycomprise an amount of value corresponding to currency or points. Thereward may be determined, for example, based on any one or more of anamount of value specified by the first user as part of the imagerequest, a default amount of value associated with image requests, anumber of images included in the image data that depict the imagetarget, a length of video included in the image data, a fee paid by thefirst user to join a camera sharing session of the second user, or basedon a distance traveled by the second user (e.g., based on a distancebetween the second user and the image target at the time of receivingthe image request). Accordingly, consistent with some embodiments, themessaging system 130 may determine the reward by determining a locationof the second user based on location data obtained from the seconddevice, determining a location of the image target, and determining adistance between the location of the second user and the location of theimage target.

In some embodiments, the reward is determined in response to verifyingthat the image data includes the depiction of the image target. In someembodiments, the reward may be determined at the time of providing thenotification to the second user such that the notification may includethe reward so as to incentivize the second user to fulfill the request.

At operation 735, the messaging system 130 provides the reward to thesecond user based on successfully verifying that the image data includesa depiction of the image target. The messaging system 130 may providethe reward by updating a user account associated with the second user toindicate that the user has been provided the reward. For example, themessaging system 130 may maintain a user account for the second userthat allows the second user to accumulate an amount of value (e.g., inactual currency or in points) and in providing the reward, the messagingsystem 130 may increase the amount of accumulated value by the amount ofvalue corresponding to the reward. In some embodiments, the messagingsystem 130 may also update a user account associated with the first userto reflect a deduction of the amount of value corresponding to thereward from the accumulated value in the user account of the first user.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the method 700 may, in some embodiments, furtherinclude operations 805 and 810. The operation 805 may be performed inresponse to operation 705, where the messaging system 130 receives theimage request. At operation 805, the messaging system 130 identifies aset of users within a predefined distance of the image target. Thepredefined distance may be a default value or may be specified by thefirst user as part of the image request. The messaging system 130 mayidentify the set of users based on location data obtained from a set ofdevices associated with the set of users (e.g., GPS data obtained from aGPS component). That is, the messaging system 130 may identify a set ofdevices that are within the predefined distance of the image targetbased on location data received from the device, where each device inthe set is associated with one of the users in the set of users. Thesecond user is included in the set of users and the second device isincluded in the set of devices.

The operation 810 may be performed as part of the operation 710 wherethe messaging system 130 provides the notification of the image requestto the second device. At operation 810, the messaging system 130transmits a notification to each device in the set of devices associatedwith the identified set of users.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the method 700 may, in some embodiments, furtherinclude operations 905 and 910. Consistent with these embodiments, theoperations 905 and 910 may be performed as part of operation 725 wherethe messaging system 130 verifies that the image data includes adepiction of the image target. At operation 905, the messaging system130 prompts the first user to confirm that the image data depicts theimage target. To prompt the user, the messaging system 130 provides aset of machine-readable instructions to the first device that cause thefirst device to display the image data and the prompt. The prompt mayfurther allow the first user to explain why the image data does notfulfil the image request and/or further instructions for fulfilling theimage request.

At operation 910, the messaging system 130 receives verification datafrom the first device. The verification data may comprise a confirmationfrom the first user that the image data depicts the image target. Inthese instances, the messaging system 130 verifies that the image dataincludes the depiction of the image target based on the verificationdata. In some instances, the verification data may indicate that theimage data does not include a depiction of the image target. In theseinstances, the messaging system 130 may provide the second device withany explanation or instructions provided by the first user regarding thefulfillment of the image request.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the method 700 may, in some embodiments, furtherinclude operations 1005, 1010, 1015, 1020, 1025, and 1030. Theoperations 1005 and 1010 may be performed prior to operation 705 wherethe messaging system 130 receives the image request from the firstdevice.

At operation 1005, the messaging system 130 receives sessionconfiguration information from the second device (e.g., the clientdevice 110-2). The session configuration information comprises one ormore identifiers corresponding to one or more users (e.g., the user106-1) who are permitted to control image capturing at a camera (e.g.,the camera 160) that is communicatively coupled to the second deviceduring a camera sharing session. For example, the session configurationinformation includes at least one user identifier corresponding to thefirst user (e.g., the user 106-2) who is permitted to control imagecapturing at a camera (e.g., the camera 160). The session configurationinformation may specify various permissions of the first user withrespect to the camera sharing session including whether the first useris approved to trigger image capturing and receive image data resultingtherefrom, whether the first user is approved to communicate with thesecond user during the camera sharing session (e.g., by video, voice,text or other communication modalities), or whether the first user isapproved to control the field of view of the camera. In instances wherethe first user is approved to trigger images captures and communicatewith second user, but not control the field of view of the camera, thefirst and second user may work together to position the camera such thatan intended image can be captured. With respect to controlling the fieldof view of the camera, the first user, when approved to do so, canzoom-in, zoom-out, pan or otherwise rotate the camera on its horizontalor vertical axis.

The session configuration information may further include auser-generated textual description associated with the camera sharingsession. In some embodiments, the session configuration information mayspecify a fee associated with joining the camera sharing session. Hence,in some instances, the reward may be a session-based award that isindependent of the number of images capture during the session. That is,the first user can trigger as many image captures as they would likeduring the session, while only paying the single session fee.

Consistent with some embodiments, a messaging application (e.g., theclient application 112) executing on the second device may provide GUIto the second device for inputting the session configurationinformation. The GUI may include at least a first input field forspecifying one or more user identifiers and a second input field forinputting a textual description associated with the camera sharingsession, and in some embodiments, a third input field for specifying afee associated with the camera sharing session. Consistent with theseembodiments, the second user may input the session configurationinformation using the GUI.

At operation 1010, the messaging system 130 initiates a camera sharingsession between the second user and at least the first user. Themessaging system 130 may initiate the camera sharing session based onthe session configuration information received from the second device.The initiating of the camera sharing session may include at leasttransmitting an invitation to the first device associated with the firstuser. The messaging system 130 may transmit an invitation to each userspecified in the session configuration information. In some embodiments,the invitation may specify a fee to be paid for joining the camerasharing session and may include functionality to facilitate payment ofthe fee by the first user.

Operations 1015, 1020, 1025, and 1030 may be performed prior tooperations 715 where the messaging system 130 receives image data fromthe second device. At operation 1015, the messaging system 130 detectsthe second device being within a predefined distance of the imagetarget. The messaging system 130 may detect the second device beingwithin the predefined distance of the image target based on locationdata obtained from the second device. More specifically, the messagingsystem 130 may detect the second device being within the predefineddistance of the image target by comparing a location of the seconddevice determined from location data obtained from the second devicewith a location of the image target. The predefined distance may be adefault value or may be specified by the first user as part of the imagerequest.

At operation 1020, the messaging system 130 provides a notification ofthe location of the second device to the first device. That is, themessaging system 130 causes the first device to display an indicator ofthe location of the second device. The notification is provided to thefirst device to notify the first user that the image target may be inthe field of view of the camera so that the first user may trigger animage capture at the camera to generate image data depicting the imagetarget.

At operation 1025, the messaging system 130 receives a trigger requestfrom the first device. Consistent with some embodiments, a messagingapplication (e.g., the client application 112) executing on the firstdevice may provide a GUI that includes functionality to enable the firstuser to submit the trigger request. For example, the GUI may include abutton or other selectable element, the selection of which invokes atrigger request.

At operation 1030, the messaging system 130 triggers an image capture atthe camera based on receiving the trigger request. The image captureresults in generation of the image data provided to the messaging system130 at operation 715. The image data may include a single image frame ora short video (e.g., 5 seconds) comprising multiple image frames. Inthis way, the camera sharing session allows the first user to remotelytrigger image capturing at the camera of the second user. The messagingsystem 130 may trigger the image capture by transmitting a command tothe second device or a companion device, depending on the embodiment. Inembodiments in which the image data includes a short video, themessaging system 130 may initiate a video capture at the camera thatends after a predefined period of time (e.g., 5 seconds).

Consistent with some embodiments, prior to triggering the image captureat the camera, the messaging system 130 may provide a notification tothe second device to notify the second user of the imminence of theimage capture. The notification may, for example, comprise a graphicalnotification presented by the first device or a companion device, or maycomprise a more simplistic notification such as an audio notification(e.g., a noise or ringer), a haptic notification (e.g., a vibration), ora visual notification (e.g., a light blink) provided by the seconddevice, the companion device, or both. The messaging system 130 maysupport multiple modes of approval for trigger requests.

For example, while in an auto-approval mode, trigger requests may beaccepted by default and the second user may be provided with the optionto prevent the first image capture. Consistent with these embodiments,the image capture may occur after a predefined amount of time if thesecond user has not provided input to indicate that the first imagecapture is to be prevented.

As another example, in an auto-rejection mode, trigger requests may berejected by default and the second user may be provided with an abilityto permit the first image capture. Consistent with these embodiments,the image capture may not occur unless the second user providesauthorization within a predefined amount of time.

In yet another example, while in a manual approval mode the second useris provided with the option to either permit the image capture orprevent the image capture. Depending on the embodiment, the second userprovides input to the second device or a companion device to eitherpermit or prevent the image capture. For example, in some embodiments,the second user utilizes a button mounted on the glasses 231 (e.g., thecamera control button) to indicate whether the camera sharing session isto be permitted or prevented.

The system also allows the second user to place the camera in ano-sharing mode at any time. While in the no-sharing mode, no requestsare approved, and remote users are not able to view or otherwise controlthe camera.

In the context of the method 700 described above, a single image frameor short videos (e.g., 5 seconds) are sent to the first device duringthe camera sharing session. That is, the method 700 may allow the firstuser to partake in the second user's experience in single frame image orshort video increments. Providing only single frame images or shortvideos rather than a continuous stream of video content results in areduction of device power consumption and computational processingresource utilization compared to traditional video streaming while stillallowing the first user to share an experience with the second user viaimage content at any time or location, as if the second user werewatching live. Indeed, in some embodiments, image data from the seconduser is provided to the first user in real-time or near real-time as itis generated.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the method 700 may, in some embodiments, includeoperations 1105 and 1110. Although FIG. 11 illustrates the operations1105 and 1110 as being performed prior to operation 1020, it shall beappreciated that the operations 1105 and 1110 may be performed at anypoint during the camera sharing session after the first user has joined.

At operation 1105, the messaging system 130 receives a view changerequest from the first device. The view change request may include arequest to zoom-in, zoom-out, rotate or otherwise change the field ofview of the camera. An amount of rotation (e.g., specified in degrees)may be included in the view change request. The camera view changerequest may be submitted by the first user via a GUI provided by thefirst device. The GUI may, for example, include a joystick-based controlmechanism that allows the second user to specify specific view changes(e.g., the amount of rotation).

At operation 1110, the messaging system 130 causes a change to the fieldof view of the camera in accordance with the view change request. Themessaging system 130 may cause the change by providing the second devicewith one or more camera commands. For example, the messaging system 130may provide a command to the second device to cause the camera to rotateby an amount specified in the view change request. In this manner, thefirst user may control the camera's view without having to ask thesecond user to move the camera.

Software Architecture

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating an example software architecture1206, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described. FIG. 12 is a non-limiting example of asoftware architecture, and it will be appreciated that many otherarchitectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionalitydescribed herein. The software architecture 1206 may execute on hardwaresuch as a machine 1200 of FIG. 12 that includes, among other things,processors 1204, memory/storage 1206, and I/O components 1218. Arepresentative hardware layer 1252 is illustrated and can represent, forexample, the machine 1300 of FIG. 13 . The representative hardware layer1252 includes a processing unit 1254 having associated executableinstructions 1204. The executable instructions 1204 represent theexecutable instructions of the software architecture 1206, includingimplementation of the methods, components, and so forth describedherein. The hardware layer 1252 also includes memory and/or storagemodules 1256, which also have the executable instructions 1204. Thehardware layer 1252 may also comprise other hardware 1258.

In the example architecture of FIG. 12 , the software architecture 1206may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer providesparticular functionality. For example, the software architecture 1206may include layers such as an operating system 1202, libraries 1220,frameworks/middleware 1218, applications 1216, and a presentation layer1214. Operationally, the applications 1216 and/or other componentswithin the layers may invoke API calls 1208 through the software stackand receive a response to the API calls 1208 as messages. The layersillustrated are representative in nature and not all softwarearchitectures have all layers. For example, some mobile orspecial-purpose operating systems may not provide aframeworks/middleware 1218, while others may provide such a layer. Othersoftware architectures may include additional or different layers.

The operating system 1202 may manage hardware resources and providecommon services. The operating system 1202 may include, for example, akernel 1222, services 1224, and drivers 1226. The kernel 1222 may act asan abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers.For example, the kernel 1222 may be responsible for memory management,processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management,networking, security settings, and so on. The services 1224 may provideother common services for the other software layers. The drivers 1226are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlyinghardware. For instance, the drivers 1226 include display drivers, cameradrivers, Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communicationdrivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers,audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on thehardware configuration.

The libraries 1220 provide a common infrastructure that is used by theapplications 1216 and/or other components and/or layers. The libraries1220 provide functionality that allows other software components toperform tasks in an easier fashion than by interfacing directly with theunderlying operating system 1202 functionality (e.g., kernel 1222,services 1224, and/or drivers 1226). The libraries 1220 may includesystem libraries 1244 (e.g., C standard library) that may providefunctions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulationfunctions, mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, thelibraries 1220 may include API libraries 1246 such as media libraries(e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of variousmedia formats such as MPEG4, H.294, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, and PNG),graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework that may be used to render2D and 3D graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g.,SQLite that may provide various relational database functions), weblibraries (e.g., WebKit that may provide web browsing functionality),and the like. The libraries 1220 may also include a wide variety ofother libraries 1248 to provide many other APIs to the applications 1216and other software components/modules.

The frameworks/middleware 1218 provide a higher-level commoninfrastructure that may be used by the applications 1216 and/or othersoftware components/modules. For example, the frameworks/middleware 1218may provide various GUI functions, high-level resource management,high-level location services, and so forth. The frameworks/middleware1218 may provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized bythe applications 1216 and/or other software components/modules, some ofwhich may be specific to a particular operating system 1202 or platform.

The applications 1216 include built-in applications 1238 and/orthird-party applications 1240. Examples of representative built-inapplications 1238 may include, but are not limited to, a contactsapplication, a browser application, a book reader application, alocation application, a media application, a messaging application,and/or a game application. The third-party applications 1240 may includean application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software developmentkit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platformand may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such asIOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or other mobile operating systems. Thethird-party applications 1240 may invoke the API calls 1208 provided bythe mobile operating system (such as the operating system 1202) tofacilitate functionality described herein.

The applications 1216 may use built-in operating system functions (e.g.,kernel 1222, services 1224, and/or drivers 1226), libraries 1220, andframeworks/middleware 1218 to create user interfaces to interact withusers of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systemsinteractions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such asthe presentation layer 1214. In these systems, the application/component“logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/componentthat interact with a user.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1300,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 13 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1200 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1310 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 1300 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such,the instructions 1310 may be used to implement modules or componentsdescribed herein. The instructions 1310 transform the general,non-programmed machine 1300 into a particular machine 1300 programmed tocarry out the described and illustrated functions in the mannerdescribed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 1300 operates as astandalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine 1300 may operate in the capacityof a server machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 1300 may comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a PC, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a PDA, an entertainmentmedia system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, awearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., asmart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a networkrouter, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable ofexecuting the instructions 1310, sequentially or otherwise, that specifyactions to be taken by the machine 1300. Further, while only a singlemachine 1300 is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken toinclude a collection of machines that individually or jointly executethe instructions 1310 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 1300 may include processors 1304, memory/storage 1306, andI/O components 1318, which may be configured to communicate with eachother such as via a bus 1302. In an example embodiment, the processors1304 (e.g., a CPU, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor,a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a (GPU, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a radio-frequency integrated circuit(RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) mayinclude, for example, a processor 1308 and a processor 1312 that mayexecute the instructions 1310. Although FIG. 13 shows multipleprocessors, the machine 1300 may include a single processor with asingle core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-coreprocessor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processorswith multiple cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory/storage 1306 may include a memory 1314, such as a mainmemory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit 1316, bothaccessible to the processors 1304 such as via the bus 1302. The storageunit 1316 and memory 1314 store the instructions 1310 embodying any oneor more of the methodologies or functions described herein. Theinstructions 1310 may also reside, completely or partially, within thememory 1314, within the storage unit 1316, within at least one of theprocessors 1304 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or anysuitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine1300. Accordingly, the memory 1314, the storage unit 1316, and thememory of the processors 1304 are examples of machine-readable media.

The I/O components 1318 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1318 that are included in a particular machine 1300 willdepend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such asmobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other suchinput mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely notinclude such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/Ocomponents 1318 may include many other components that are not shown inFIG. 13 . The I/O components 1318 are grouped according to functionalitymerely for simplifying the following discussion, and the grouping is inno way limiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components 1318may include output components 1326 and input components 1328. The outputcomponents 1326 may include visual components (e.g., a display such as aplasma display panel (PDP), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)),acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., avibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and soforth. The input components 1328 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen display configured toreceive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or otheralphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., amouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or otherpointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physicalbutton, a touch screen display that provides location and/or force oftouches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audioinput components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components 1318 may includebiometric components 1330, motion components 1334, environmentcomponents 1336, or position components 1338, among a wide array ofother components. For example, the biometric components 1330 may includecomponents to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measurebiosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram-basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 1334 may includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environment components 1336 may include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gassensors to detect concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or tomeasure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that mayprovide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to asurrounding physical environment. The position components 1338 mayinclude location sensor components (e.g., a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimetersor barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may bederived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and thelike.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1318 may include communication components 1340operable to couple the machine 1300 to a network 1332 or devices 1320via a coupling 1324 and a coupling 1322, respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1340 may include a network interface componentor other suitable device to interface with the network 1332. In furtherexamples, the communication components 1340 may include wiredcommunication components, wireless communication components, cellularcommunication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components,Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components,and other communication components to provide communication via othermodalities. The devices 1320 may be another machine or any of a widevariety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via aUSB).

Moreover, the communication components 1340 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 1340 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF4114, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components1340, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, locationvia Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting an NFC beaconsignal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

GLOSSARY

“CARRIER SIGNAL” in this context refers to any intangible medium that iscapable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for execution bya machine, and includes digital or analog communications signals orother intangible media to facilitate communication of such instructions.Instructions may be transmitted or received over a network using atransmission medium via a network interface device and using any one ofa number of well-known transfer protocols.

“CLIENT DEVICE” in this context refers to any machine that interfaces toa communications network to obtain resources from one or more serversystems or other client devices. A client device may be, but is notlimited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, PDA, smart phone,tablet, ultra book, netbook, laptop, multi-processor system,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics system, gameconsole, set-top box, or any other communication device that a user mayuse to access a network.

“COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK” in this context refers to one or more portionsof a network that may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, avirtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wirelessLAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), ametropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of theInternet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), aplain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network, another type of network,or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network ora portion of a network may include a wireless or cellular network, andthe coupling to the network may be a Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)connection, or another type of cellular or wireless coupling. In thisexample, the coupling may implement any of a variety of types of datatransfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio TransmissionTechnology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long-TermEvolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard-settingorganizations, other long-range protocols, or other data transfertechnology.

“MACHINE-READABLE MEDIUM” in this context refers to a component, device,or other tangible medium able to store instructions and data temporarilyor permanently, and may include, but is not limited to, random-accessmemory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flash memory,optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types of storage(e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM)), and/or anysuitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers)able to store instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shallalso be taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media,that is capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by amachine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or moreof the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readablemedium” refers to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as“cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiplestorage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium”excludes signals per se.

“COMPONENT” in this context refers to a device, a physical entity, orlogic having boundaries defined by function or subroutine calls, branchpoints, APIs, or other technologies that provide for the partitioning ormodularization of particular processing or control functions. Componentsmay be combined via their interfaces with other components to carry outa machine process. A component may be a packaged functional hardwareunit designed for use with other components and a part of a program thatusually performs a particular function of related functions. Componentsmay constitute either software components (e.g., code embodied on amachine-readable medium) or hardware components.

A “HARDWARE COMPONENT” is a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physicalmanner. In various example embodiments, one or more computer systems(e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or aserver computer system) or one or more hardware components of a computersystem (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured bysoftware (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardwarecomponent that operates to perform certain operations as describedherein. A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. A hardwarecomponent may be a special-purpose processor, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. A hardware componentmay also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarilyconfigured by software to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware component may include software executed by a general-purposeprocessor or other programmable processor.

Once configured by such software, hardware components become specificmachines (or specific components of a machine) uniquely tailored toperform the configured functions and are no longer general-purposeprocessors. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement ahardware component mechanically, in dedicated and permanently configuredcircuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured bysoftware) may be driven by cost and time considerations. Accordingly,the phrase “hardware component” (or “hardware-implemented component”)should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entitythat is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g.,hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in acertain manner or to perform certain operations described herein.

Considering embodiments in which hardware components are temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need notbe configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured by software to become a special-purpose processor, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respectively differentspecial-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardwarecomponents) at different times. Software accordingly configures aparticular processor or processors, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware component at one instance of time and to constitutea different hardware component at a different instance of time.

Hardware components can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardwarecomponents may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Wheremultiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications maybe achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. Inembodiments in which multiple hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such hardwarecomponents may be achieved, for example, through the storage andretrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware components have access. For example, one hardware component mayperform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memorydevice to which it is communicatively coupled. A further hardwarecomponent may then, at a later time, access the memory device toretrieve and process the stored output. Hardware components may alsoinitiate communications with input or output devices, and can operate ona resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implementedcomponents that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component”refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors.Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented components.

Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to supportperformance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing”environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, atleast some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers(as examples of machines including processors), with these operationsbeing accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or moreappropriate interfaces (e.g., an application programming interface(API)). The performance of certain of the operations may be distributedamong the processors, not only residing within a single machine, butdeployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, theprocessors or processor-implemented components may be located in asingle geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an officeenvironment, or a server farm). In other example embodiments, theprocessors or processor-implemented components may be distributed acrossa number of geographic locations.

“PROCESSOR” in this context refers to any circuit or virtual circuit (aphysical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor)that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g.,“commands,” “op codes,” “machine code,” etc.) and which producescorresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine. Aprocessor may, for example, be a CPU, a RISC processor, a CISCprocessor, a GPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a RFIC, or any combination thereof. Aprocessor may further be a multi-core processor having two or moreindependent processors (sometimes referred to as “cores”) that mayexecute instructions contemporaneously.

“TIMESTAMP” in this context refers to a sequence of characters orencoded information identifying when a certain event occurred, (forexample, giving date and time of day) sometimes accurate to a smallfraction of a second.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: initiating a camera sharingsession between a first device associated with a first user and a seconddevice associated with a second user based on session configurationinformation input via a user interface provided to the second device,the user interface comprising one or more of: a first input field toreceive one or more user identifiers; a second input field to receive atextual description associated with the camera sharing session; and athird input field to receive information associated with a feeassociated with the camera sharing session; receiving, during the camerasharing session, a request, from the first device, for an imagedepicting an image target; providing a notification of the request to asecond device associated with a second user; receiving, from the seconddevice, image data comprising at least one image generated by a cameracommunicatively coupled to the second device; transmitting the imagedata to the first device associated with the first user; causing, at thefirst device, a prompt to be provided to the first user to verify thatthe image data includes the depiction of the image target; receiving,from the first device, verification information comprising aconfirmation by the first user that the image data includes thedepiction of the image target; verifying that the image data includesthe depiction of the image target based on the verification information;in response to verifying that the image data includes the depiction ofthe image target, determining, by at least one hardware processor, areward associated with the request based in part on the sessionconfiguration information; and providing the reward to the second userbased on the image data including a depiction of the image target. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a set of devicesthat are within a predefined distance of the image target, each devicein the set of devices being associated with a user from a set of users,the set of devices including the second device, the set of usersincluding the second user; and transmitting the notification of therequest to each device in the set of devices, wherein the transmittingof the notification of the request to each device comprises providingthe notification to the second device.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, from the first device, a trigger request; andbased on the trigger request, triggering an image capture at the camera,the image capture resulting in the image data.
 4. The method of claim 3,further comprising: detecting the second device being within apredefined distance of the image target; and transmitting location dataof the second device to the first device.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein: the request further specifies an amount of monetary value to betransferred from the first user to the second user; and the determiningof the reward is based on the amount of monetary value.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the reward comprises a monetary award.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein providing the reward to the second user comprisingupdating a user account of the second user to indicate that the rewardhas been provided to the second user.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe notification of the request comprises an indicator of the reward. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein determining the reward is based on adistance between the second device and the image target.
 10. The methodof claim 1, wherein the image target comprises a location identifier.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from the firstdevice, a view change request, the view change request specifying one ormore changes to a field of view of the camera; and causing, prior togenerating the image data, the one or more changes to the field of viewof the camera based on the view change request.
 12. The method of claim1, wherein: the camera is embedded in a wearable device worn by thesecond user associated with the second device; and the wearable deviceis communicatively coupled to the second device.
 13. The method of claim1, wherein the camera is embedded in the second device.
 14. The methodof claim 1, wherein the session configuration information specifies oneor more permissions of the first user with respect to the camera sharingsession, the one or more permissions specifying one or more of: whetherthe first user is approved to trigger image capturing at the seconddevice; whether the first user is approved to communicate with thesecond user during the camera sharing session; and whether the firstusers is approved to control a field of view of camera communicativelycoupled to the second device.
 15. A system comprising: one or moreprocessors of a server machine; and a computer-readable memory coupledto the one or more processors and storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the server machine toperform operations comprising: initiating a camera sharing sessionbetween a first device associated with a first user and a second deviceassociated with a second user based on session configuration informationinput via a user interface provided to the second device, the userinterface comprising one or more of: a first input field to receive oneor more user identifiers; a second input field to receive a textualdescription associated with the camera sharing session; and a thirdinput field to receive information associated with a fee associated withthe camera sharing session: receiving, during the camera sharingsession, a request, from the first device, for an image depicting animage target; providing a notification of the request to a second deviceassociated with a second user; receiving, from the second device, imagedata comprising at least one image generated by a camera communicativelycoupled to the second device; transmitting the image data to the firstdevice associated with the first user; causing, at the first device, aprompt to be provided to the first user to verify that the image dataincludes the depiction of the image target; receiving, from the firstdevice, verification information comprising a confirmation by the firstuser that the image data includes the depiction of the image target;verifying that the image data includes the depiction of the image targetbased on the verification information; in response to verifying that theimage data includes the depiction of the image target, determining areward associated with the request based in part on the sessionconfiguration information; and providing the reward to the second userbased on the image data including a depiction of the image target. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:identifying a set of devices that are within a predefined distance ofthe image target, each device in the set of devices being associatedwith a user from a set of users, the set of devices including the seconddevice, the set of users including the second user; and transmitting thenotification of the request for the image to each device in the set ofdevices, wherein the transmitting of the notification of the request forthe image to each device comprises providing the notification to thesecond device.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by a computer system, cause thecomputer system to perform operations comprising: initiating a camerasharing session between a first device associated with a first user anda second device associated with a second user based on sessionconfiguration information input via a user interface provided to thesecond device, the user interface comprising one or more of: a firstinput field to receive one or more user identifiers; a second inputfield to receive a textual description associated with the camerasharing session; and a third input field to receive informationassociated with a fee associated with the camera sharing session:receiving, during the camera sharing session, a request, from the firstdevice, for an image depicting an image target; providing a notificationof the request to a second device associated with a second user;receiving, from the second device, image data comprising at least oneimage generated by a camera communicatively coupled to the seconddevice; transmitting the image data to the first device associated withthe first user; causing, at the first device, a prompt to be provided tothe first user to verify that the image data includes the depiction ofthe image target; receiving, from the first device, verificationinformation comprising a confirmation by the first user that the imagedata includes the depiction of the image target; verifying that theimage data includes the depiction of the image target based on theverification information; in response to verifying that the image dataincludes the depiction of the image target, determining, by at least onehardware processor, a reward associated with the request based in parton the session configuration information; and providing the reward tothe second user based on the image data including a depiction of theimage target.